308w ago - Game engine work on both the PS3 and XBox 360 versions of this hotly anticipated JRPG Final Fantasy XIII is being conducted simultaneously, Square Enix has revealed.

To quote: Speaking to VideoGamer.com (linked above) at a recent press event in London, Final Fantasy XIII producer and series legend Yoshinori Kitase said that regarding the "basic engine", work on both the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game will be kept on the go "simultaneously".

Final Fantasy XIII runs on the Crystal Tools game engine, an engine built by Square Enix to be used across the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and PC. It was created during development of Final Fantasy XIII as a means of stepping up from the PS2, home of the last "main series" Final Fantasy game.

The Xbox 360 version of the game was spectacularly announced during Microsoft's media briefing at E3 last year. Square Enix has said that the game will be released in Japan on the PS3 only, then released in the US and Europe simultaneously on the PS3 and Xbox 360 at a later date.

In a video shown to press late last year, Final Fantasy XIII director Motomu Toriyama said: "We're making the PS3 version first, and then porting to the 360 later."

Some gamers have expressed concern over the prospect of the Western release of the PS3 version of the game being held back while development on the 360 version is completed.

When asked if development of the Xbox 360 version had begun, Kitase told VideoGamer.com: "When it comes to the basic engine it's likely we are going to keep them on the go simultaneously. But the finishing touches, the details, the PS3 version will be completed first, then we will move on to 360."

"We will have to wait until we are done with the PS3 version," Kitase added in response to being asked whether the finishing touches on the Xbox 360 version had begun.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the interview with Final Fantasy legend Yoshinori Kitase in full.

What do you think about Kitase's comments? Let us know by replying below.

The engine may contain the very basic instructions for graphics but in the end each console handles this graphics diferently so, in order for them to actually show up a lot of work has to be done that is specific to each console.

Well the words "Work Done Simultaneously" are a bit misleading here, because the only thing they do simultaniously is to get the engine work on both platforms (which is logical, since they want to port it to the 360 as well). It has nothing to do with graphics and phys. particles, etc.

This is what my limited undertanding got from what Kitase said: Crystal Tools are a PC environment, as such this basic set of intructions work on both the PS3 and Xbox 360 so, every change we make to the main instruction set on the PC means that we are working on both versions at the same time, now the details we will work on Ps3 first and then on 360.

Does this mean they will be the same in the end?, Of course not, after all this "finishing touches" are quite complicated and the limitations of each console are bound to change the final package. So, in the end what Mr. Kitase said doesn't really clear my doubts about the quality of the game on either console.